Quote:
Originally Posted by hip hop bunny hop
So myself and the rest of my society should subsidize a social relationship which doesn't benefit society?
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It's not just the case of marriage, it's also a hurdle in the way of gay tolerance. In a country like the United States, the gay population is pretty huge. Do you really think discriminating against them is a good way of doing things? You may think of it as a trivial matter, but it really isn't and I don't think a gay population denied marriage would think it trivial either. Ending homophobia in your country could be net very beneficial for the state, even if there are minor trade-offs here and there.
In our western society, the idea that you could or should discriminate against people for the way they are biologically is also fairly outdated - and has been since the end of the second world war. It's largely considered immoral. The US is a democracy and so the morality of the state and government is reflected in the US population and vice versa. More morale and more compassion is also good for the nation because it makes people more cooperative, more likely to follow rules etc. Discriminating against gay people would set a horrible example.
Have you read any morale theory? Take John Rawls for example, he wrote that when deciding how things should be in a state, rational people should have to decide on how things would be in that state as if they did not know what role they would have in it. For example, they would have to decide rules for the US not knowing whether they themselves would live in the nation as an afro-american, asian, caucasian, handicapped, gay, straight, war veteran, etc. It's not meant literally, but as a mental excercise which is to prevent our selfishness from ruling a nation. To me, it sounds like something you should give a try.
By the way, I think that a nation should increase the quality of life for it's people. If you should choose between a population with more money, but who are less happy or a population with less money, but who are more happy, I think the latter is generally better. What do you think a nation should do for it's people?